Annealing or other like apparatus.



W. R. KINNEAR. ANNEALING OR OTHER LIKE APPARATUS.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1908.

W. R. KINNEAR. ANNEALING OR OTHER LIKE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, 1908.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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i To all whom, it may concem;

. UNITED STATEsrATENT ornion.

WILLIAM B. x zimnn, on cns'rnn, rnnnsyrrnnmn.

Specification a; Letters Patent.

nmrmnme. mom-En r1312 armnesus Patented Get. 5, 1909.

Applic ion fil d Septem er @998. Serial E9- 2 5.-

Be it known that I,,W11;.LIA1\ LR. KINNEAR,

a citizen of the United Statesfresidingat New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Annealing or other Like Apparatus, of which the 0 lowing is a specification.

This. invention relates primarily to annealing inclosed receptacles, and particularly to that class of an ealing which requires the time permit the annealing box to be readily opened and closed when cold.

My invention consists in applying to the joint b ween e pa ble parts o he annealing box or other container in which metal objects are to be heated, a sealingmedium that is capable of resisting the heat to which the box is to be subjected and which will assume a fused or fluid state under heat without becoming Volatile, and preferably one which will solidify and permit separation of the parts when cold.

My nv n ion. fur her relat t c r a n details of construction of an annealing heir of the character described, whereby the supporting surfaceiof the pan or tray is elevated to a plane above the walls of the surrounding trough so. that the trough will drain the sup? porting surface upon which plates are often placed wet from the pickling and rinsmg bath and will not ofier any obstruction to the removal of the annealed plates; also details of construction whereby the pan or tray is supported above the oven surface, or other surface upon which it rests so as to permit circulation of air beneath it.

My invention .will be fully understood upon reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a common form of annealing box modified to adap it or manip a ion in a sr ance th nay present invention; 2 is a similar view showing the parts separated; 3

to Figs. 1 and and l are views corresponding ig. 51s 3+.V16W

2, shcw ng modifieati n.

to Fig. 1, showing a modified construction of pan'or tray. Figs. '6, 7 and 8 are respectively a plan view, a vertical longitudinal section, and a transverse section of a pan or tray further .rnodified in construct q P e X. r presen s he pan or tray of an annealing box, such for instance as used for annealmg sheets of metal, and B represents the cover. These parts are fitted together by settingthecover 3 upon the pan A w1th n the flange 0 formed on the latter, and 1n order to prevent free ingress of an, while escape of air under internal ex- PQJ SiOII due to heat, the space between the cover and the flange C has heretofore been filled with some material such as sand, or

other granular or pulverulent substance.

According to my present invention, I supply an additional flange D which, with the flange C, makes a trough extending around the pan and into. which trough the lower edge of the cover-may enter. In the trough v I then place. a material, preferably lead, which while solid at ordinary temperatures, fuses and becomes fluid under any temperature that would promote objectionable 0x1- dation of the material being treated. \Vhen the box; is introduced into the furnace, the

sealing material in the trough flows into such intimate contact with the flanges and the wall of the cover as to effectually seal the oiut against passage of air under atmospheric'pr'essure, or under any unbalance between atmospheric pressure and the pressure within the bQX due to cooling. The innor flan e D, is made of sufiicient height to permit t e body of molten lead to rise under excessive pressure on the outside, wlthout overflowing the flange. Under this method of procedure and with the described apparatus or apparatus equivalent thereto air might escape when, unduly expanded within the box, by bubbling through the molten lead or other sealing material, but I prefer to, use a vent E located at a suitable point in the cover constructed as shown in the form of a trap with overlapping concentric walls on the two parts and with the wall E on the cap dipping into a trough E on the hos: within. which is lead or other sealing material that becomes fluid under heat. Under excess of pressure, the flange of the cap rises out of the lead to permit escape of iw a\zgr, but du g g cooling, the cap closes under.

the excess of exams pressur -and-prevents return of air to the box.

For convenience in manlpulation, and to leave the box in readiness for 'use at all.

. by providing an enlargement B at the lower edge of the cover so that it will lift the body of sealing material with it, or both these lifting means B and B or the removal of the sealing medium from the trough may be accomplished by having an additional trough or receptacle F of sufficient capacity to contain the sealing medium, and communicating with the trough hrough an opening F having'alute or stopper of clay or equivalent material that may be readily removed, when it is desired to remove the sealing medium,

the latter being independently heated so that it will flow. 7

I do not limit myself to the use of lead as the sealing material but may employ fusible salts of metals that will become fluid at a sufficiently low temperature and will not volatilize under the temperature to which the annealing box must be subjected in use.

The tray is preferably provided at the bottom of the trough, with transverse ribs A which support the cover slightly above the bottom and permit molten lead or other sealingmaterial to flow from one side to the other.

G represents a layer of sand or other powdered or pulverulent material placed upon the sealing body of lead to reduce drossmg or oxidizing of the metal.

As will be seen from the drawings, the pan or tray may be substantially fiat with the walls of the trough projecting above its general plane, as shown in Figs. 1 to i, or 1tmay be constructed with the trough dropped below its upper surface a.

When embodying the latter construction, the trough may provide the support for the tray and the tray may be hollowed out as shown at a for the sake of lightness and economy of construction; Or, if preferred, the tray, in addition to having the elevated supporting surface a and the shallow under side a ma be elevated as a whole, to provide for circulation of air beneath it.' To accomplish this latter purpose, I provide the pan or traywith a series of transverse strengthening ribs a extending across the hollow under side and a suitable number of supporting feet a preferably of slightly scares greater thickness than the strengthening ribs a and having such increase of thickness of those feet which are beneath the supporting surface of the tIZay, extending all the way up to the bottom wall.

- Having thus described my inveritibm what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i 1. An annealing box comprising a tray having an annular trough; a cover 'to rest in said trough; and a seal to close the joint of said cover and tray consisting of a metal to hold a seal; and the walls of one of these members being tapered to facilitate separation of the sealing medium from said Walls and the walls of the other memberbeing constructed to induce adhesion of the sealing medium when cold.-

4. A seal for hermetically closing the joint between parts of annealing or other like apparatus comprising a trough formed on one partand a wall carried by the other part and said trough being adapted to confine a sealingmedium that is fluid under a temperature lower than that at which the process is carried on and one of the parts with which the sealing medium contacts, being constructed to cause the sealing medium to interlock therewith on cooling.

5.'An annealing box consisting of a tray constructed with inner and outer walls forming a trough and a" cover constructed with a lower ed e adapted to enter said trough; said box being provided with means for removing a seallng material from the trough.

6. An annealing box comprising the tray constructed with a trough, a cover having its wall constructed to enter said trough, and means on said cover for. removing a sealing medium.

7. An annealing box comprising a tray constructed to confine a sealing medium and a cover having its wall fitted to said-tray and constructed with recesses to engage a sealing medium for lifting the latter from the tray. I

8. An annealing box comprisin a tray constructed to confine a sealing me ium and a cover having its wall fitted to said tray and constructed with recesses to engage a sealing medium for lifting the'latter from the tray, said recesses consisting of openings through the wall of the cover.

9. An annealing box comprising a tray, a metal that becomes fluid at a temperature less than the annealing heat, confined by said tray, and a cover dipping within the surface of the sealing medium when in fluid state.

10. In an annealing box the combination ofa tray having a trough and a cover having secured to its lower edge, a body of material 7 adapted to enter said trough and 1which becomes fluid under the influence of ieat.

11. In an annealing box, a vent consisting of overlapping walls and a sealing material that becomes molten on the application of heat.

12. In an annealing box a vent consisting of a cap, the overlapping wall of the annealing box and a sealing material confined between said parts', that is fluid under the annealing heat. u

, 13. In an annealing box, a ventcomprising an opening in the box surrounded by a trough, a cap having a flange or wall entering the trough, and a sealing material inthe trough that is fluid in the annealing heat.

14. An annealing box having a surrounding trough and having its supporting surface elevated to a plane above the trough.

15. An annealing box having its tray constructed with a surrounding trough extending below the plane of the upper surface of the trayv and having the under side of the tray constructed with a hollow space toreduce the'thickness of the bottom wall of the tray.

16. An annealing box having its tray constructed with a surrounding trough, extending below the plane of the bottom of the tray and with a hollow under side having transverse strengthening ribs.

17. In an annealing box, a tray having a surrounding trough, a hollow under side and supporting feet elevatin the tray and permitting the circulation of air beneath it..

18. An annealing box having a tray constructedwith a surrounding trough and with transverse strengthening ribs and supporting feet on its under side,

19. An annealing box having a tray'constructed with a surrounding trough and with transverse strengthening ribs and supporting feet on its under side; said trough extending below the surface of the tray, said strengthening ribs extending between the inner walls of the trough, andsaid supporting feet projecting below the ribs. I

The fore oing specification signed at C0- lumbus, Ohio this second day of September,

. WILLIAM R. KINNEAR. In presence of two witnesses C. E. BLANCHARD, F. H. GAME. 

